"Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today."

Well I started off reading Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power. It doesn't follow the typical biographical style of highlighting his life chronologically. Instead, the first chapter deals with his political vision and ambition (not light reading). I thought I'd write on some of the things that stood out to me in chapter one.

In youth group this week, we talked about honor and what it means. I'm impressed by Lincoln's example of this as even in his more bitter disputes and disappointments, he maintained a cordial approach to life and boosted his own respected reputation as a result. Carwardine describes him as both humble to a fault and persistent in achieving political success. How does one manage to combine these in a realistic modern world?

Being a Christian myself, Lincoln's faith is of particular interest to me. Lucky for me, a good portion of my reading spoke on the topic, although not in the way I anticipated. Carwardine first suggests that to regard Lincoln's religious views as part of his success story is inaccurate and unnecessary. He then describes how Lincoln's brand of Christianity doesn't fit in with what I've grown up to understand from what I've read previously. We read here how he's been claimed today as part of many religious traditions including Quakers, Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, Masons, Unitarians, Universalists, and even Spiritualists all based on vaious experiences Lincoln had and statements he made. The peers of his day didn't seem to think he held to any particular religious belief. Though he was educated in Scripture and quoted it when appropriate, he didn't necessarily believe the Bible as divine and also entertained many skeptic views. As many faith journeys are woven, his was a life of questioning and revising his belief system. I wonder if in 150 years, the Christian church will be hailing Obama as one of the great American fathers of faith. Oh! And will someone please explain to me what Arminianized Calvinism is? I've often referred to myself as an Arminianist Calvinist, but only as a joke because I adhere to neither view as a whole.

Part of Lincoln's reading list as a youth: John Bunyon's Pilgrim's Progress, the Bible, Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, Aesop's Fables, Parson Weems' Life of George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography.